CIO is how it is referred to in books, blogs and magazines.

I was advised to do it by my pediatrician, the authority (in my mind, at the time) on all things baby.

I was encouraged to do it to by my mom and my mother in law and I was “supported” to do it by my friends who had or who were doing it themselves.

You see, prior to doing it, I would bathe my baby, usually in the tub with her.

I would pass her out to her dad who would dry her and love on her and put on her pajamas.

While he did that, I would get out of the tub, dry myself off and put my own pajamas on.

The two of us would meet up again, a few minutes later on the couch and I would nurse her to sleep in my arms. I remember this with peace and softness. It was right and I knew it. My baby and I knew it. Next I would slip her quietly into her bed and she would sleep until early in the morning.

At about six months old, I stopped breastfeeding and she was taking a bottle before bed. The routine was the same and things were going well. At this point, she was sleeping later into the morning and we were all feeling pretty much “normal”.

As a few more months passed, that before bed bottle, no longer helped her drift off to sleep. Instead, she would slurp it down and...Read more

Often, women fear being seen in a vulnerable position during labor. It is not just the nudity part but also the vulnerability of labor. Choose your support team wisely. Provider/Doula/Family, you must be comfortable enough with those people to labor freely.

9) Water breaking in public!

A spontaneous rupture of membranes as the first sign of labor, happens less often than you might think. About 10-15% of women begin the birth process this way. If this does happen for you in public, it is likely that those around you will understand.

8) Accidently delivering at home or in the car!

Try not to give too much power to this. In most cases this is pretty unlikely. Keep in mind that birth/babies that come quickly like this don’t usually require much help.

We are raising awareness about the challenges that so many families are faced with in order to keep their babies in clean, dry diapers. We will be collecting diapers through our event on June 1st. The day will start off with a 5k/ 10k race and 1 mile Family Walk followed by a Family Fun Day to celebrate this amazing community!

Bring some diapers, run and have fun! See you at FDR Park in Yorktown Heights on June 1st!

For more information about diaper collection locations and to register, check out the EVENTS page on our website!

Ummm… Last I heard, water doesn’t break. Something that holds water can break and water can gush or leak out, but water doesn’t break.

There are a lot of terms used around birth that confuse women and if a doulas first role is to educate, then let’s get started.

This water we talk about breaking is actually in a sac.

It is called the amniotic sac, to be specific.

The sac is made of a pair of membranes that are transparent and although thin, they are pretty tough. As you can see in the photo, the amniotic sac is part of the placenta. One side of the placenta (the maternal side) is attached to the uterine wall and the other side (the fetal side) is part of the sac. The umbilical cord attaches the baby to the placenta in the sac. Make sense? The sac holds the embryo/fetus/baby until shortly before it is birthed as well as the “water”.

The water is called amniotic fluid. This fluid is pretty magical (if you ask me). It changes to meet your baby’s needs. In the very beginning of the pregnancy, it is made up of mostly water and electrolytes. But by the second trimester, the fluid contains protein, carbohydrates and some other cool stuff to help with your baby’s growth.

Then there’s the amount. Remarkably, that changes too.

Early in pregnancy, there is about 25ml of fluid. That number increase to about 400ml by around the half-way mark of gestation. At 28weeks you can expect that...Read more

Whether it is about eating dessert, starting a business or buying a new car, the right answer lies within us. There is an internal “voice” that motivates our actions and we either accept it or fight against it.

When I am faced with a hot fudge sundae at the end of a day where I have stuck to my “diet”, my gut screams at me, “DON”T DO IT!!!!” On a good day, I listen. I trust myself and I act based on that inner voice. I wake up the next morning feeling good about myself and feeling confident. Not just because I didn’t add those extra calories, but because I listened to the voice inside me that was put there to protect me. I also know how I feel when I’m with a friend who eagerly wants an “eating buddy” and persuades me to eat the sundae and disregard my inner voice. That person has their own agenda and doesn’t have MY best interest at heart. I wake the next day feeling disappointed in myself. Not just because I added the calories, but because I wasn’t true to myself.

We often seek advice or counsel from those we deem smarter or wiser than ourselves. Those people may have a skill set that we don’t posses BUT do they have our intuition? Do they have our insight? Do they really understand our passion or desire for what we are facing a decision about? Most importantly… are they...Read more

Whenever I go to a baby shower or get a gift for a new baby, I always add a book for the child’s library. Over the years with my boys we have received many books and several have had written inscriptions from friends and family. Reading the book was like finding an old letter and the boys always remember who gave them “The Polar Express”.

Here are my top 10 favorite children’s books, and why

10. Teddy’s Busy Day - As you can see from the blog photo, we got our monies worth on this book! Each page offers your child a new activity to place the cardboard Teddy. This is the perfect “child on your lap” book. This was the final book of the night for a very long time.

9. Guess how much I love you - I got this book while I was pregnant with my first. I used to read it to him while I was pregnant imagining what it would be like to read it to him when he was on the outside. I get chocked up to this day when I see that book in a store because of the storm of emotions it brings out of me. As parents, the book also teaches us how our children want and need to understand that we love them.

When I sat down to talk to the parents, my heart went out to them. The mom had tears welling up in her eyes, and her story came spilling out. No one in the family was happy because of sleep deprivation. The husband couldn't concentrate at work, she felt like a zombie, and her baby was always cranky.

She felt like the joy was sucked out of her day before it even began. She wondered... “How did it ever get this bad? My son was sleeping well at one point. Then it just got worse and worse, and here we are.”

Their little one was eight months old and waking every two to three hours through the night. She knew she needed help when she looked down her own street for a full ninety seconds before it registered in her brain that, yes, she did live there.

I listened to this sensitive mom. She talked about her situation, her life, and her hurdles....Read more

We ask ourselves these questions when considering names for our babies in hopes of choosing one that will prevent them from being harassed in school. We remember well, the pain we suffered from the ugly mouths of our peers when we were children and we meticulously consider the name we will give our own child.

My parents, apparently gave zero thought to any of this… They had 2 children, a boy and a girl. They named one Jody and one Randy. Here’s where they fucked up! They named the boy, Jody and the girl Randy!!!! We each grew up being told that our parents were confused and they gave me the boy name and him the girl name. They mocked our sexuality based on our names as early as elementary school. It seems my husband’s parents didn’t get the “consider the impact of a name” memo either. They had two sons. Named them Thomas and Gerald. Thomas and Gerald?!?! Seriously?!?! You mean Tom and Jerry?!?!?!

We ask our clients all the time, “Do you know what you’re having?” If the answer is yes, we always follow with, “are you sharing the name?” Usually the answer is “no, we’re not telling anyone until after the baby comes”. These parents know that if they share the name they have chosen, they will have to defend it. People will express their...Read more

10 - So you don’t feel judged while you learn to care for your newborn. A doula offers judgment free support allowing you to develop your “inner-momma” peacefully, smoothly and at your own pace.

9 - So you can let your guard down and explore your parenting options. Your doula will discuss various parenting philosophies and options with you and support you in every decision YOU make.

8 - Because early breastfeeding can pose its challenges, having a doula by your side during frustrating or exhausted feedings can be extremely beneficial.

7 - So you can be nurtured while you nurture your newborn.

6 - So you can be reminded to eat well and stay hydrated. Simple things like eating and drinking are easily overlooked while focusing on a newborn, however, they are extremely important to your recovery.

5 - So you can be free of day-to-day household tasks in order to focus on bonding with your baby and your partner.

4 - For the most up to date information on products relating to babies. Your doula is an expert on all things “baby”, in spite of the ever-changing recommendations and product recalls.

3 - Doulas are trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of the postpartum baby blues and postpartum depression. Your doula can advise you of what is a “normal” part of your emotional recovery and what you might need some help with.

Northeast Doulas

Northeast Doulas is proud to provide families in the Greenwich, Fairfield, Westchester, NYC areas (and beyond) with the best trained most experienced doulas available.

Clients of Northeast Doulas enjoy the benefits that our professional and compassionate doulas bring to them in both labor and on the postpartum side. The staff of Northeast Doulas offers labor support in the birthplace of your choice (hospital or home), and postpartum support from 4 - 24 hours per day.